33 Lessons for 33 Years.

Some fun ideas for a fun life.

PATRICK FRANK
January 17, 2025

In partnership with

33 Lessons for 33 Years:

My “IN DEVELOPMENT” Playbook For Living A Meaningful Life.🎉

Today is my birthday and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate it other than with 🫵 YOU! 🫵

Before we get into the main course I wanted to share some BIG ideas that I practice to remind myself of my mortality and longevity which I have historically ignored but has recently become a major focus for me in 2025.

MORTALITY: Ahhh yes, perhaps the one thing we hate thinking about more than tax season but as they say, the only sure fire thing on this planet are: Death & Taxes.

Despite our best efforts to put it out of our mind, facing it head one might actually can be something that can become a superpower. So…. This is your friendly reminder to remind you that you have a shot clock.

Visualizing it is hard but just like anything that is hard, it is probably something you should have already been doing.
A story I tie this back to is one of my all time favorite movies: BIG FISH. A journey through the decades of an ambitious main character that lives without fear of death. Why? Well without spoiling the entire thing, when he is a kid, he is gifted with knowing how and when his time is up.

This super power gave him the ability to live without fear on anything he pursued because he know how it would eventually end.

Ask yourself, if you knew how and when you were going to go…. What would it change in your life? What actions would you be taking RIGHT NOW?

Then after spending some thoughtful introspective time in that exercise, ask yourself the

BIGGER question…. Why aren’t you doing those things RIGHT NOW?

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A PATTY HACK ON MORTALITY: MY LIFE IN WEEKS:

Physical: ( LINK)

Digital: (LINK)

LONGEVITY:

After much self-delay, I finally pulled the trigger on Inside Tracker which was one of the best decisions in my life. As a founder there is no time where you are not thinking…. I am living in pure chaos and this cannooottttt be healthy for me. Well it turns out… It’s NOT healthy for you. (Shocking I know)

I was constantly told by my closest friends, family, and just about everyone who knows me to slow down and take care of myself, but me being me ignored it to prioritize what HAD to be done.

Turns out, was HAS to be done, is to start prioritizing my health because if I continued down the same path I was one, nothing would have ended up getting done in a couple years after it caught up with me.

ENTER: INSIDE TRACKER.

Inside Tracker is a full body testing service that analyzes your blood, your gut, your dna and just about everything else and compiles the information into visualizing your “Inner Age” which essentially means how old your vehicle of a body actually is….

The result… I might be turning 33…. But I am operating as a 43 year old.

NOT. GOOD.

The best part about it is that you meet with their team after your test and they put together an action plan to stick by to lower your inner age. The plan is completely custom to your results and after a couple weeks on it, I can already say it works. WHY?... Or at least why I think it works…. Is because the plan is completely customized to what my body is lacking and needs. Specific supplements, specific actions I need to be taking, whether it is a certain amount of sleep or certain amount of days I need for recovery or activity to optimize my health and longevity.

FULL DISCLOSURE:

This is NOT A PAID PLACEMENT. Just something I think everyone should do so you actually know what is going on inside your body.

If you want to check it out, here is a link: https://www.insidetracker.com/

I don’t get anything from you signing up either. Truly an organic plug.

As Joan Collins said: “Imagine you were given 1 car to have your entire life. You could never have another car from the day you were 16 to when you were 100. You probably wouldn't choose a Lambo or a Ferrari, and you definitely would take care of that car more than you are your current one.”

That car is your body.

Start taking care of it.

You only get ☝️

THE MAIN COURSE

Before I start I want to give credit to Sahil Bloom for this format and newsletter idea. I found it very insightful and introspective for my own self as I go into the next year of my life's journey. Just like Sahil, I put together in combination with some of his own that I relate to, 33 ideas and lessons I have learned from my time on this planet that help guide me and my decision making. I encourage you to do the same on your next year trip around this planet.

33 Lessons for 33 Years

ON LIFE:

Chose your hard.
Hard can be dealing with regret of not doing the hard things that would have made you into the best version of yourself. Chose the right hard.
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Just go find out.
The easiest path to growth is through finding out the unknown.
The Good Times Are Right Now.
Sometime in the near future you’ll be looking back on right now thinking they were the good ol’ days. Realize they are right now and enjoy the moment you or in.
If you want security in your life. Go to prison.
The safest place in the world is solitary confinement. If you want a safe life go there. If you want to live a life, take risks and love the mistakes.
The easiest way to get lucky is to be prepared.
You can’t make luck but you can prepare yourself to receive it. Put yourself in the right positions, do the right things, and luck will find you.
Your gut is smarter than your brain.
Your gut is your intuition. Your brain is your reasoning. Your brain is the best at creating lies for you not to do what you are supposed to do. If it feels wrong, it probably is. Don’t talk yourself into a bad decision. If you’re on the fence, flip a coin, if you react to the result, do the option you reacted in favor of.
The easiest person to lie to is yourself.
It’s easy to lie to yourself because no one else is holding you accountable. The more you break promises to yourself, the more you will start to do the same for others.
Small things always become the big things.
Swing at a tree a thousand times and it will come down. Don’t let the small distractions keep you from big wins and be consistent with the good you put out into the world. It will find its way back to you.
Action beats ideation every time.
You don’t need more information, you need action. Action will open the doors, thinking about action will lead to them shutting on you.
Learn the rules like a professional, so you can break them like an artist.
Rules were meant to be broken and most are made up. Rules lead to a normal life. Learn the rules of the game of life so you can find the best ways to break the norm and find your path.
Measure twice. Cut Once. It’s ok if it’s not the perfect cut.
Pay attention to the details upfront to multiply your actions. Remember to not get lost in the details as nothing is ever perfect.
What you avoid eventually catches up.
The things you are running away from are faster than you and always keep your pace. They will haunt you until you face them. Whatever is occupying your mind, deal with it because there will be something new tomorrow.

ON YOUR NETWORK:

Theres enough good people in the world to not have to deal with the bad ones.
There are 8 BILLION people on this planet and you only have 24hrs in a day. You got options when it comes to being around the good ones.
The most expensive thing in your life is your time.
Your time is your most valuable asset. You can offer a 80yr old billionaire his 20’s back and guarantee he would give his fortune up for it.
The most expensive thing someone else can give you is their loyalty.
You cannot buy real loyalty. It is earned. Keep those who are loyal to you close. Even if they are not 100% on the same trajectory, always remember to nurture loyalty.
The company you keep will keep you where they are.
You are the sum of the best people you keep the closest. You can only move as fast towards a great life as the slowest person in the group. It’s your journey and they can decide to keep up or be left behind.
Nobody has it figured out.
Everyone’s winging it, including the people you admire. Don’t let the highlight reel fool you. We all live a gag reel. Make it fun. Make it interesting. Worry less about the others.
Never say anything about someone else unless you can say it to their face.
What is said in the shadows will come to the light. If you can’t say something to someones face about them, don’t pretend like they will never find out. They will.
Your word is your bond. Small cracks lead to big beaks.
Make promises you can keep. Make commitments you can be depended on for. Don’t become someone whose words hold no weight.
Accessibility is your secret weapon and something to defend at all costs.
Being there for others is an easy action to both give and be taken advantage of. Lend yourself to helping others, just make sure it is for the right people and you don’t lose track of your own priorities.
It’s up to you. No one is coming to rescue you.
At the end of the day wherever you are in life is a result of your own actions. No one else’s. Learn to depend on yourself as others are often too busy doing the same.

ON AGE & HEALTH:

Remember, you only get one body. Take care of it.
Your body is like getting a car at 16 and never being able to replace it. It’s easy to neglect it when you are young only to have it neglect you when you are old. The later you start taking care of it, the faster it will give out.
Stress is the tax of ambition.
Everyone is stressed but most are stressed about things that are not important. Ambition points your stress at the right things and turns it into a tax instead of a liability.
You’re older longer than you are young.
“Old” is subjective. But you are beyond your 30’s longer than it takes to get there. Prepare for the future you so you can always have the ability to feel like a kid through life.
Learn to see the world through a child’s eye.
As a kid, you have imagination, wonder, awe, and no limits. Never let the pressure of your surroundings or the idea of adulthood remove your ability to move through life in wonder. It’s contagious to others because they yearn for it in their own life.

ON GROWTH:

Comfortability is the death of growth.
If an EKG machine flatlines it most likely means you’re dead. That is also what the trajectory of a comfortable life looks like. Go out and live a little.
Empty tomorrows makes for a life of yesterdays.
It is easy to put something off until tomorrow. You do that enough you end up with false promises of yesterday. Remember that eventually you will have your last yesterday and not have any more tomorrows. Whatever it is, do it today.
The compound effect is the most powerful force in the world.
If you set a goal to grow yourself by 1% everyday. Over the course of 10 years you will have leveled up by over 6 TRILLION times the individual you were when you started. Let that sink in.
The value you generate is how much you’re worth.
Let your reputation lead itself by the value you create. You get paid on the value you deliver. You are loved by the value of the love you give to others. Be valuable. Get rewarded.
Show up. Everyday. No matter what.
Reliability beats brilliance. If you’re always there and putting in the work, people will notice and they will remember. Become the person people know for always showing up for life and they will want you around.
Easy mode eventually gets hard.
Cutting corners is the easiest way to end up at a dead end. Challenge yourself to find a life that is easy by the hard things you have accomplished.
Grit is the cheat code of life.
Talent, courage and tenacity are unstoppable forces that combined give an individual grit. Grit gets the job done. Everything else is a nice to have.
Life is short. Go BIG.
Go big in everything you do. Anything less just isn't worth it.

FINAL THOUGHT

As I look back on 33 years and the lessons that shaped me, two themes stand out: Urgency and Intentionality. Life is a finite game, and every moment you waste is a moment you don’t get back. Yet, it’s also a game worth playing—one where the struggle, the chaos, and the climb often mean more than the summit itself.

Memento Mori:

Remember, you’ve got a shot clock. Act like it.
Longevity: Treat your body and mind like the one-of-a-kind machine they are. They’ll take you further than you think—if you let them.

So here’s the challenge I’m taking into 2025: Live without hesitation, work like time is short, and go big on everything that matters. Because the best gift you can give yourself is the courage to show up, stay curious, and keep climbing.

But remember. Take care of yourself in the process. You only got one body, one life, and one shot at this.

Make it count.

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